THE CROSS

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THE CROSS

• IN HISTORY, ART THEOLOGY

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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• The ancient world greatly feared slave rebellions
  designed, as a deterrent, various means of
  death by torture, one of which was crucifixion.
  The word cross comes from the Latin crux, which
  in turn comes from the verb crucio, meaning to
  torture.
• The most common of crucifixion was impaling the
  person upon an upright stake. For more important
  criminals the double bar was used so that the
  death process would be slower (by asphyxiation)
  and that an inscription could be put above the
  head usually had a small shelf/seat to keep the
  weight of the body from tearing the hands away
  from the nail.

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CROSS IN HISTORY

Archaeological discovery in 1968 of a 1st c.
crucifixion with a nail still embedded in the heel
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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• For the first three centuries Christians shunned
  depicting the crucifixion. We find no cross art
  because of its shame. In baptism, however, the
  sign of the cross was made on the persons
  forehead. You are marked as Christs own
  forever.
• Christians used the fish symbol to symbolize
  Christianity (i-ch-th-u-s).

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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• In the 4th c. the Emperor Constantine ended the
  use of the cross for torture in honor of Christ.
  His symbol was the Chi Rho (by this sign you
  shall conquer), which he received in a vision.

CHI RHO
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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• The first Christian church buildings were long,
  rectangular buildings that resembled the Roman
  law courts (basilicas).
• To this was added short stubby arms called
  transcepts. In the Middle Ages they became much
  bigger.
• The transcepts made the building cruciform.

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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• The Emperor Constantine sent his mother Helena to
  establish Christian shrines in Palestine
• She claimed to have found the true cross on
  every Good Friday in Jerusalem a simple wooden
  cross was placed on a mound between the Church of
  the Holy Sepulcure and the Church of the
  Resurrection thought to be the top of Mt. Calvary
  to be adored by pilgrims.

LATIN CROSS
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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• In Byzantine (Eastern) Christianity a distinctive
  cross developed developed with
• two cross bars a slanted bottom one, often
  with the ends budded

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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• An early use of the cross was among the Celtic
  people (Ireland Scotland esp.), where
  Christians mixed the cross with pagan symbols,
  such as the sun, together with Celtic weaving
  patterns. Sometimes they had biblical stories

CELTIC CROSS
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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• In the Middle Ages there was great suffering,
  death came easily. The suffering of Jesus on the
  cross became the central motif. The crucifix
  became the most common form of the cross.

Donatello, Santa Croce, Florence 1412
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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• At the Reformation Lutheran churches retained the
  crucifix, but the Reformed churches abandoned the
  use of physical objects like crosses. Today both
  traditions favor the empty Latin cross,
  emphasizing the Resurrection.

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THE CROSS IN HISTORY

• In recent times a new cross style has emerged,
  the Christus Rex, Christ the King, emphasizing
  the triumphant, ascended, reigning Christ, often
  in eucharistic vestments.

Christus Rex
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THE CROSS IN ART

• Greek Cross (equal arms) Switzerland flag
  Red Cross
• St. Andrews Cross (Scotland)

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THE CROSS IN ART
Ankh (Egyptian)
Canterbury (English)
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THE CROSS IN ART
Tau
St. Peters
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THE CROSS IN ART

Maltese
Jerusalem
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THE CROSS IN ART

Cross Fleury
Cross Pattée (Iron Cross)
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THE CROSS IN ART
Mariners Cross
Globus Cruciger
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THE CROSS IN ART

Episcopal
United Methodist
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THE CROSS IN ART
Roman Catholic
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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGY A. CLASSIC THEORY

• The early church view of the cross was that it
  was part of Gods strategy to defeat the Devil.
  By taking Gods Son unjustly into Hell the gates
  of Hell were broken down. Satan was unable to
  restrain the Gods Son, the God-Man. This theory
  is also called Christus Victor.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGY A. CLASSIC THEORY

• For all who are united through Christ in baptism
  the bonds of Hell have forever been shattered.
• Early Christians regarded Baptism as a rite of
  exorcism holy water fonts still serve that
  function.
• When Luther felt most threatened by Satan, he
  would shout Baptismus sum (I am baptized).

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGY A. CLASSIC THEORY

• In our baptismal questions we renounce Satan and
  all the spiritual forces that rebel against God,
  all the evil powers of this world, which corrupt
  and destroy the creatures of God, and all sinful
  desires that draw us from the love of God.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGY A. CLASSIC THEORY

• In our Baptismal Covenant we promise to persevere
  in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into
  sin, repent and return to the Lord and to strive
  for justice and peace among all people, and to
  respect the dignity of every human being.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGY A. CLASSIC THEORY

• It has become popular again in our time through
  Liberation Theology the battle for social
  justice.
• Salvation is the defeat of the forces of social,
  as well as cosmic personal evil.
• It avoids the accusation that religion is a
  matter of private piety or simply one of
  individual salvation.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGY A. CLASSIC THEORY

• Its strength is that it focuses on the cosmic and
  communal dimensions of evil.
• Its weakness is that it does not deal with the
  need for personal transformation, if one is
  realistically to engage in the struggle against
  evil in this world

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYB. OBJECTIVE THEORY

• In the Middle Ages the Objective Theory of the
  Atonement became dominant. Cf. St. Anselm,
  1033-1109 It fit with the ideas of feudalism.
  Sin dishonors God that honor must be satisfied
  sinners cannot do that, only a sinless person
  can the merits of Jesus unwarranted death on
  the cross pay our debt to God and free us from
  eternal damnation.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYB. OBJECTIVE THEORY

• The medieval Catholic Church emphasized that the
  merits of Christ are made available to us through
  the sacraments, originally Baptism, then
  Confession and Eucharist. The addition of good
  works earning indulgences (remission of
  punishment in purgatory) ignited the Reformation.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYB. OBJECTIVE THEORY

• The Protestant Reformers reacted to that approach
  by stressing the sufficiency of faith in Jesus
  atoning death on the cross to obtain forgiveness
  of sins and the promise of eternal life.
• Some Protestants speak of Christs
  substitutionary atonement in which he takes our
  place as the object of Gods wrath. The
  sacraments merely remind us of this.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYB. OBJECTIVE THEORY

• This theme is best seen in the BCP in the
  eucharistic prayer in Rite I thou, of thy
  tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus
  Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our
  redemption who made there, by his one oblation
  of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and
  sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction,
  for the sins of the whole world and didcommand
  us to continue, a perpetual memory of that his
  precious death and sacrifice until his coming
  again.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYB. OBJECTIVE THEORY

• The strength of this approach is that it
  emphasizes that our salvation is by Gods grace
  and not by our worthiness, by faith not by
  works.
• Its weakness is that it paints a picture of a
  wrathful God whose plan of salvation includes the
  torture of His son it also undervalues the role
  of our human response in faith and gratitude.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYC. SUBJECTIVE THEORY

• Jesus obedience to his mission to proclaim Gods
  unmerited love even to the point of death by
  crucifixion touches our heart gives us a
  selfless example to follow through bearing our
  own crosses.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYC. SUBJECTIVE THEORY

• Historically, the theory was first stated by
  Abelard (1079-1142), who used psychological
  insights into how God acts upon our intentions
  via our reaction to Jesus heroic sacrifice on
  our behalf. His views exemplarist/subjective
  theory.
• Church authorities suppressed this approach in
  favor of St. Anselms satisfaction/objective
  theory.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYC. SUBJECTIVE THEORY

• Beginning in the 19th c. the Subjective Theory of
  the Atonement was revived and became very popular
  among more liberal Protestants, who were
  uncomfortable with the Objective Theory. Still
  popular among liberal Christians, who prefer the
  positive vision of a God of love versus a just,
  punishing God.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYC. SUBJECTIVE THEORY

• The strength of this approach is its recognition
  of the power of human emotion in moving head and
  heart, as well as the value of emphasizing Gods
  love vs. Gods wrath.
• Its weakness is that it does not take seriously
  enough the persisting power of human
  sinfulness/self love.

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THE CROSS IN THEOLOGYFINAL THOUGHT

• The three approaches are complementary
• The subjective approach appeals to our hearts,
  which predispose our minds.
• The objective approach clarifies for us that it
  is by the grace of God we are free from our sins
  able to fight for justice peace, which clears
  the way for action.
• The classic view reminds us that sin is not
  simply personal, but is also societal and cosmic,
  and moves us to action.